Periodic meeting reviewing open Requests for Information (RFIs). Tracks RFI lifecycle, response timelines, and identifies systemic design/scope issues from RFI patterns.
RFI Review 12-May-2026. Open: 24 RFIs (7 critical, 11 major, 6 minor). Aged > 30 days: 5 (design coordination office to address by 18-May). Pattern: 8 RFIs on MEP coordination at L3 — design re-review of MEP package recommended. Actions: 12 (5 owned by design, 7 by contractor for clarification submission).
RFI (Request for Information) is the formal mechanism by which a contractor seeks clarification from the designer / consultant on an ambiguity, conflict, or missing detail in the design documents. RFIs are inevitable on any project — drawings can't capture every situation, errors exist, conflicts emerge when MEP + structural + architectural are coordinated on site.
A typical Indian commercial / institutional project generates 200-2,000 RFIs over its lifecycle. Each unresolved RFI can hold up a work crew for hours to days. The RFI Review Meeting MoM is the formal coordination mechanism to ensure designers respond promptly, contractors don't hide problems, and the project doesn't slip due to design ambiguities.
Workflow: 1. Contractor raises RFI — sequentially numbered; identifies drawing / specification reference; describes the issue + requested clarification; includes urgency 2. Reviewed by PMC — verifies issue is genuine, not contractor's attempt to extract design change 3. Forwarded to designer — typically with PMC's recommended response if any 4. Designer responds — within agreed timeline (typically 3-7 working days for routine; 24-48 hours for urgent) 5. Response distributed — to contractor + relevant trades; updated drawing issued if needed 6. RFI closed in register
Regular RFI Review Meetings (typically weekly): - Open RFIs reviewed for status + outstanding response - Overdue RFIs escalated - Patterns identified (e.g., 'lots of structural / MEP coordination RFIs' → underlying coordination issue) - Designer accountability tracked
MoM captures: attendees, RFIs discussed, decisions made, action items, deadlines.
1. No formal RFI — verbal queries only — contractor asks PMC informally; PMC tells crew informally; no record; later dispute about what was approved.
2. Slow designer response — RFIs sit for weeks; crew works around them creating field decisions that don't match design. Re-work cost when RFI eventually answered.
3. RFI as scope-change vehicle — contractor uses RFIs to extract unjustified design changes / cost claims. PMC must filter genuine vs commercial RFIs.
4. Pattern issues ignored — many RFIs from same area → underlying design problem. Without periodic pattern review, root cause hidden.
5. No distribution — RFI answered but not distributed to all affected trades; some teams continue with outdated info.
6. Lost RFI tracking — register inconsistent; status unclear; project end-game has dozens of 'open' RFIs that turn out resolved long ago.
7. No analytics — RFI volume + response time not measured per designer / discipline; underperforming designers not held accountable.
8. End-of-project chaos — unresolved RFIs at handover; contractor uses them as basis for delay claims; client / PMC defends. The RFI register is the evidence.
Companion PMC formats: - Design Review Register (PMC-DES-REG-001) — design-cycle review log - Drawing Transmittal (PMC-DES-FRM-001) — formal drawing issue records - GFC Submission Tracker (PMC-DES-LOG-002) — GFC release status - Clash Detection Report (PMC-DES-RPT-001) — coordination issues from BIM analysis
Workflow standards: - ISO 19650 Parts 1-5 — BIM information management (RFI processes part of CDE workflows) - AIA Document G716-2004 — Request for Information (US format reference) - FIDIC General Conditions — Clause 13 (variations) + Clause 14 (contract price) — RFIs often trigger variation orders - Standard CDE software (Aconex, Procore, BIM 360, Asite) — typically include built-in RFI workflows + tracking